Guest Column: Wolf expansion has ranchers worried about their livelihoods

Recent decisions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to expand the number of Mexican wolves and the area the wolves are allowed to roam, has Greenlee County ranchers extremely worried. Wolves will now be allowed to roam freely across all of Greenlee County and about two-thirds of both Arizona and New Mexico.

The Fish & Wildlife’s Final Rule 10(j), for the so-called “Experimental Non-Essential” population of the Mexican wolf, was published Feb. 17 of this year. The rule allows for the current population of wolves to increase from about 100 to 325 and increases by 10 times the zone where wolves are allowed to roam.

Ranchers feel that this federal action will create severe hardship for them for a number of reasons:<<<Read More>>>